


Poltergeist Activity

by Hamiltonian



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-11
Updated: 2012-08-11
Packaged: 2017-11-11 21:35:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/483133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hamiltonian/pseuds/Hamiltonian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hogwarts AU. Rose finds herself totally unprepared for a startling reminder that ghosts still have feelings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Poltergeist Activity

There is an entire castle to search, but Rose already knows exactly where to find the boy she needs to speak with. Shifting the ancient runes books in her arms to slide them onto the secluded window seat in the library that she constantly favored when in need of a study session, she crosses her arms and glares at thin air.

"Strider." The word comes out with the harsh exhale of air that's become the only clue to most people that Rose is upset.

Almost on command the air shimmers before her and the ghost of Dave Strider the elder (a point he continues to insist upon despite his demise) appears before her. His expression is nonchalant behind nearly opaque sunglasses, but it's been many years since she was unable to read beyond the surface of the Strider boys. He knows what this is about.

"Ditching divination, Lalonde? You better watch out before I scare up a prefect to ride your ass about that."

Her eye twitches at the insinuation of hooky but she otherwise doesn't take the bait. On any other day Rose would be more than happy to engage in pointless battles of wit with her ghostly companion, but this meeting was called for a purpose. There's something more important to discuss today.

"I saw you upend the shelf on Tavros." she says, cutting through the veneer of his opening lines with a tone just shy of accusation.

Rose has always been better at spotting ghosts than the other students, even when they're moving intangibly through a room; it's an ability that unsettles Dave to no end, as he's become used to slipping unseen between the living. With this in mind he knows that it's futile to attempt to bullshit his way to innocence, and so he simply crosses his arms and does his best to look unaffected.

"So? Kid's a dweeb and I'm a mischievous spirit. Shit was bound to go down sooner or later."

"I've never seen you torment the innocent and defenseless before. That sounds more like malevolence than anything else."

"He was _not_ innocent."

The comment is said so emphatically that she can't help but raise an eyebrow at it. Rose has only begun to get to know Tavros this year thanks to the random assignment of potions partners, but she's seen enough to severely doubt the veracity of the statement. The fact that Dave seems to believe it is far more interesting.

"And what, may I ask, did he do to incur your wrath? Sheltered too many kittens under his bed in one go?"

Dave looks up at the ceiling, translucent cheek crumpled a bit as he chews on it and tries not to look completely embarrassed. Moments like these usually force her to press a hand up to her mouth in order to stifle giggles, and even in the current situation the urge still rears its ugly head. Ruffling his feathers has always been one of Rose's favorite activities.

"Come on, Lalonde, don't tell me you didn't notice."

"I'm quite honestly at a loss as to the crime committed. Please, don't keep me in suspense any longer."

"Jesus fuck, some master of the human mind you are." His eyebrows contract and his voice suddenly drops, as if by saying it softly she might miss it and let the subject go entirely. "Dude's been macking on you since the term started."

Silence stretches out between them for what feels like an eternity, Rose's face totally glassy as she attempts to comprehend the confession. Just as quiet begins to reach a worrisome length she's unable to hold herself together anymore and begins to laugh, doubling over in an attempt to remain upright.

The hilarity finally snaps Dave's attention back to her from the ceiling, if only to serve a glare so scathing that it could have ripped through metal with no difficulty. He opens his mouth to accompany the look with an appropriately vicious comment, but she gathers herself together in time to cut him off before he has a chance.

"That's it? You swore vengeance on Tavros Nitram because you think he has a crush on me?"

He's incredibly embarrassed now, she can tell. His form wavers at the edges as if he's unable to decide on whether or not he wants to flee this conversation entirely, a sure sign that he's feeling uncomfortable and exposed. The expression, however, remains firmly in unamused territory and betrays nothing of the inner turmoil.

"Well _sorry_ if I don't like spending days on end watching some idiot try and crawl into your pants. Next time I'll let you deal with it yourself, miss observant."

"What does it matter to you if he does think about me in that way? It doesn't effect you in the least."

Dave goes quiet, gaze shifting to the floor. It's a bizarre response for him, one which Rose is initially at a loss to explain. Then all of a sudden it clicks in a rush of clarity and emotions mixed into an uncomfortable tangle and her laughter dies down immediately.

"You're jealous." It's a statement, not a question. Her face smooths out into something almost sorrowful as she steps closer to him, hands balling into fists as she fights the natural instinct to reach out and touch him. This isn't the first time she's wished she could do something as simple as hug or punch Dave, but it is the first time that the inability hurts so much.

He jumps as if she could and did strike him, alarm evident across his face. She's already caught it, he knows, but that doesn't stop him from making a valiant attempt to convince her that he feels nothing but indifference towards the whole thing.

"Don't be so full of yourself, Lalonde. Who'd be stupid enough to be jealous of maybe losing the chance to date a crazy broad like you?"

"You would."

And just like that Rose decides she really doesn't care about possibilities or looking stupid or maintaining her composure. She reaches up, hesitant even in her resolve, and presses her hand against the unreal imagery of Dave's face until she can feel the air chill and give the only sign of physical contact with a ghost.

It's too much for Dave to handle; his face crumples as the mask is shattered, falling onto Rose in what would be a crushing hug if he were alive with a mumbled 'fuck'. Her entire body feels as if it's been submerged in ice water and she's fairly sure the hand that was caressing him is now sticking out through his neck, but she can't bring herself to care. It's a simple matter of shifting to mimic a return embrace, and if she closes her eyes Rose can almost allow herself to believe she can feel him.

They remain this way for a while, too busy drowning in an unfamiliar storm of emotions to break the silence. Eventually Rose speaks up, tone desperately struggling to regain some form of normality in its strained lightness.

"You know, I never did finish penning that complaint to the Ministry about you."

"Yeah?" Dave's voice is so close to her ear now that she's fairly sure the shivers aren't entirely from the temperature. "Go figure."

"Of course you'd have the distinct advantage as time went on considering the natural process of aging, which I'm sure you're well aware of. It might be incredibly awkward on both sides, so perhaps it's best to keep this in the realm of hypothetical imagination rather than anything really concrete-"

She's babbling and she knows it, but Rose can't stop herself. The incredible stupidity of what she's just tacitly suggested is monumental enough to make her want to rush off and fling herself from the astronomy tower. As if she hadn't made a big enough fool of herself in the past fifteen minutes. Great job, Lalonde.

"Rose." He cuts her off instantly with the rare use of her first name. She tenses unconsciously, ready to cut her losses and beat a hasty retreat back to Ravenclaw Tower to stew in her idiocy for the rest of the week.

"I'm not going anywhere unless you beat me over the head with a crucifix. You're fucking stuck with me."

The statement is unexpected and causes her to pull back from the almost hug to take a hard look at Dave's face. What she sees there is enough to tug a small smile from her, fleeting but very genuine.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

He pulls back from her entirely and the moment is over. Rose brushes some stray hairs from her face as she turns to retrieve her textbooks, mind slowly drifting back to the ancient runes lecture she's missing.

As she shuffles the books in her arms, Dave crosses his and grins wickedly at her.

"So, guess this means that I've got permission to watch you undress now."

The resulting screech and threats of an exorcism flying around his head give Dave some hope that, just maybe, this crazy thing might actually work out after all.


End file.
